Primary Care Out-of-Hours Services - audit.wales

12 July 2018. Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru Auditor General for Wales Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices I have prepared and published this report in accordance with the Government of Wales Act 1998. The team that delivered the work was Anne Beegan, Nigel Blewitt, Matthew Brushett, Fflur Jones, Philip Jones, Delyth Lewis, Stephen Lisle and Urvisha Perez, under the direction of Dave Thomas. Huw Vaughan Thomas Auditor General for Wales Wales Audit Office 24 Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9LJ. The Auditor General is independent of the National Assembly and government. He examines and certifies the accounts of the Welsh Government and its sponsored and related public bodies, including NHS bodies. He also has the power to report to the National Assembly on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which those organisations have used, and may improve the use of, their resources in discharging their functions. The Auditor General also audits local government bodies in Wales, conducts local government value for money studies and inspects for compliance with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.

Transcription of Primary Care Out-of-Hours Services - audit.wales

1 12 July 2018. Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru Auditor General for Wales Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices I have prepared and published this report in accordance with the Government of Wales Act 1998. The team that delivered the work was Anne Beegan, Nigel Blewitt, Matthew Brushett, Fflur Jones, Philip Jones, Delyth Lewis, Stephen Lisle and Urvisha Perez, under the direction of Dave Thomas. Huw Vaughan Thomas Auditor General for Wales Wales Audit Office 24 Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9LJ. The Auditor General is independent of the National Assembly and government. He examines and certifies the accounts of the Welsh Government and its sponsored and related public bodies, including NHS bodies. He also has the power to report to the National Assembly on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which those organisations have used, and may improve the use of, their resources in discharging their functions. The Auditor General also audits local government bodies in Wales, conducts local government value for money studies and inspects for compliance with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.

2 The Auditor General undertakes his work using staff and other resources provided by the Wales Audit Office, which is a statutory board established for that purpose and to monitor and advise the Auditor General. Auditor General for Wales 2018. You may re-use this publication (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium. If you re-use it, your re-use must be accurate and must not be in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Auditor General for Wales copyright and you must give the title of this publication. Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned before re-use. For further information, or if you require any of our publications in an alternative format and/. or language, please contact us by telephone on 029 2032 0500, or email We welcome telephone calls in Welsh and English. You can also write to us in either Welsh or English and we will respond in the language you have used.

3 Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to a delay. Mae'r ddogfen hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg. 2 Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices Contents Primary care Out-of-HoursServices are appreciated by patients but are not meeting national standards and are under strain due to morale and staffing issues. Poor information hampers effective management of Services , and planning of Out-of-Hours is not properly integrated with other key Services . The introduction of a new 111 service presents opportunities for important improvements but cannot solve all of the issues facing Out-of-HoursServices . Summary report Background 4. Key findings and recommendations 9. Detailed report Our survey suggests patients have generally positive views about Out-of-HoursServices but there is a need to improve signposting and to achieve the national standards on timeliness 16. Notional funding from the Welsh Government has fallen in real terms and Services are strained due to morale and staffing issues that threaten the resilience of Services 22.

4 Poor information on service quality and performance is hampering the effective governance, planning and management of Services at a national and local level 28. Planning of Out-of-HoursServices is not properly integrated with other key Services . The new 111 service will address some integration issues but will not solve all of the problems facing Out-of-HoursServices 31. Appendices Appendix 1 Locations and call handling arrangements for Out-of-HoursServices 38. Appendix 2 Our methods 39. Appendix 3 National standards for Out-of-HoursServices 40. Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices 3. Background 1 Exhibit 1 describes what Primary care Out-of-HoursServices are and how they work. Exhibit 1 Primary care Out-of-HoursServices in Wales Primary care Out-of-HoursServices are sometimes referred to as GP. Out-of-Hours or urgent Primary care Services . These Services provide healthcare for patients with urgent but not emergency medical problems outside normal surgery hours.

5 General practitioners have traditionally led the delivery of Out-of-HoursServices but other clinicians are increasingly involved in these Services , including nurses, paramedics and pharmacists. The Out-of-Hours period Plus weekends and public holidays Who is responsible for providing Out-of-HoursServices ? Since 2004, health boards have been responsible for ensuring their resident population can access these Services . Some health boards choose to provide these Services directly, by employing staff. Other health boards choose to commission other organisations (ie private companies or not-for-profit cooperatives) to provide these Services (see Appendix 1). 4 Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices How do Out-of-HoursServices work? million People call their GP Recorded message people contact surgery's number, A welcome message Out-of-Hours or signposts patients to every year. the Out-of-Hours alternative Services . service's direct number, Hold the line to speak or in some areas people to the Out-of-Hours can now call 111.

6 Service. Call taking Call back Advice or Appointment The call is answered A doctor, nurse or Some patients are advised by a trained call paramedic often calls to self-care, some are visited handler. They ask the patient back. at home and most have an what the problem is. appointment at a Primary care centre. Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices 5. 2 The timeline below highlights the important events and changes that have affected Out-of-HoursServices in Wales since 2004. Exhibit 2 Timeline of key developments in Out-of-HoursServices A new General Medical Services contract allowed GPs to opt 2004 out of the provision of Out-of-HoursServices . Responsibility for commissioning Out-of-HoursServices fell to health boards. A ministerial review by Dr Chris Jones, found that Out-of-Hours 2012 Services across Wales were unsustainable. The report highlighted a lack of investment, opportunities for economies of scale, a lack of comparable data and a shortage of medical staff.

7 A report from the Wales Audit Office on unscheduled care 2013 highlighted issues with recruitment and retention of GPs as well as scope to improve integration and information sharing between Out-of-HoursServices and other unscheduled care Services . The NHS in Wales produced a set of national standards for 2014 Out-of-HoursServices , with a target date to reach these by March 2018. A review of Out-of-HoursServices at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board found a number of problems including inadequate 2015 staffing levels, long waiting times and a lack of clinical leadership. There was also potential to improve staff training, monitoring and clinical governance. The NHS Wales Delivery Unit carried out a baseline review of 2015 Out-of-HoursServices in Wales. The report found issues in relation to call handling systems and challenges with recruitment, retention and financial probity. In October 2016, the NHS in Wales began a pathfinder 2016 project to implement the 111 service.

8 In late 2016, the Wales Audit Office carried out fieldwork on Out-of-HoursServices at all health boards. Further work from the Delivery Unit found that achievement of 2017 the national standards would require a considerable amount of development work. During 2017 the Wales Audit Office published reports in all health boards regarding Out-of-HoursServices . 2018 Health boards were expected to have implemented the national standards for Out-of-HoursServices by March 2018. In May 2018 the Board of Community Health Councils in 2018 Wales published a report highlighting the fragility of Out-of-HoursServices in Wales. Source: Wales Audit Office 6 Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices 3 his report considers whether patients in Wales have access to T. resilient and well-run Out-of-HoursServices . It summarises the findings from our 2017 audit reports on Out-of-HoursServices at each health board. We have also examined the current arrangements for the national leadership and planning of Out-of-Hours , and the progress that has been made in delivering the 111 telephone service (see Exhibit 3).

9 Appendix 2 describes our methods. 4 his report is part of a suite of Wales Audit Office work on Primary T. care. In April 2018, we published A Picture of Primary Care in Wales. During autumn 2018, we will publish reports describing each health board's progress in delivering the national Primary care plan. Primary Care Out-of-HoursServices 7. Exhibit 3 What is 111? The 111 service is a new way for people to get health information, advice and urgent care, 24 hours a day. People should still call 999 for emergencies. The service brings together the phone-based aspects of NHS Direct Wales and Out-of-Hours . The Welsh Government and National 111 Programme intend to roll out the 111 service across Wales subject to a successful pathfinder scheme in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend and Carmarthenshire. People in these pathfinder areas can dial 111 free of charge. The pathfinder is part of wider work on developing a Transformational Model of Primary Care in Wales.

10 Click this link for more details on the model: The service is for people who are unsure of which service to use, or who just want advice or information. Importantly, the service is also for people who want to access Out-of-HoursServices . 111 will eventually replace the Out-of-Hours phone number. People calling 111 get through to a bank of trained call taking staff employed by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust. If necessary, people then have an assessment over the phone, with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. These clinicians may solve the person's problem through advice or information, they may make a referral to another service or they may make an appointment or arrange a home visit from the Out-of-Hours service. Provision of home visits and face-to-face appointments remains the responsibility of each health board, not the 111 service. Evaluation of the ongoing pathfinder has shown some positive results, as shown later in this report. Navigate to the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust website for further details on 111.

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